Thursday, November 20, 2008

It appears that I'm not the only one ecstatic about the Bush Administration coming to an end.

Here Bush walks onto stage to be rejected by every world leader he passes. He looks pathetic. What in the world is he going to do after he is out of office. He has become one of the biggest jokes on the planet.

It's hard to imagine him saving any face once out of the office. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise all of us and go down the road of other former presidents and become a philanthropist. My guess is he will start drinking again and we won't see very much of him.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

It is hard for me to understand why so many people are against same-sex marriage.Changes have been made to the 'traditional' sense of marriage before. Interracial marriage is allowed now and it wasn't back in the day. So why can't there be another adjustment in the world of marriage? People are too scared of this god who may or may no exist. Sure, faith is a nice thing to have in life but I would much rather have love.

The idea that some people won't let others be together because of their god is pure nonsense. First off, god may not exist. Some people have different gods than others. Some just don't believe. So why does the entire country have to follow the same set of ideas from a higher being that may in fact be made-up completely!

When the Old Testament and Bible were written, people had no idea what the hell was going on in the world. They didn't know what got their women pregnant. They thought the world was flat.They had their imaginations though. Couldn't it be possible that some of that stuff you take so literally might be fiction!? Oh no, he said it!

Life is about love. People want that love, affection, security and the comfort of laying down next to the person they love and waking up with them still by their side. Who cares if they have the same chromosomes? What matters is what they have in their hearts. Love.

The people who are fighting this uphill battle against the hate that is brewing thick in America, are people like you and me. They are teachers, construction workers, soldiers, doctors, and more. They are Americans. They are human beings. They deserve the exact same rights as everyone else.

If John and Charles in Oregon got married, how does that play out in your life? It doesn't. If Sally and Susie in Connecticut get hitched, how will your life be different? It won't. But their lives will change drastically. They will be married to the person they love and that is a beautiful thing.

We are human beings first and foremost. We all start as that same little tadpole searchig for that egg. So what scares people into thinking same-sex marriage is a sin? Why should it matter?I am a heterosexual, Jewish-American from New York City. Do you think my life is any different because a happy male couple is married two thousand miles away from me? Of course not.

Some people say, 'I don't want to see that kind of thing.' Well no one is asking you to watch! No one is forcing you to go and sit front and center at every same-sex marriage across the country.All these people want is the chance to love and be loved. They don't want to feel like second class citizens who almost have the same rights as others, but don't. We all deserve the same rights. Whatever happened to, 'All men are created equal?'

I don't hate on religion. I don't hate on god. I don't even know if I believe in god. But what I do believe in is life, love and happiness. I believe in letting anyone share their life with anyone else so long as it makes the two of them happy.

Stop being so scared America. Stop hating what's different. Open your eyes and learn to embrace that love between two people (no matter what is between their legs) is a beautiful thing that should be cherished, not feared.

Grant Lingel: author of Imagine. A Vagabond Story.

Follow me on a wild year through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala

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Before 2006, the only world 22-year-old Grant Lingel had ever known was Western New York. One of countless soon-to-be college graduates, he was broke, scared, and clueless, with only school on his resume and the debt to prove it. Eager to break free, jump and enjoy the freefall, Grant packed a bag, cashed in the few hundred dollars left to his name, and hopped a one-way flight out of the country. The year that followed took him on an often-bumpy road through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, from the beach to the jungle, to the top of active volcanoes and beyond. Most importantly, he found himself in a world surrounded by like-minded explorers, immersed in a sea of stories and knowledge from all corners of the globe . In his own words, “I didn’t leave with the express purpose of finding myself or figuring out my life. Even so, I accomplished both.”